Thavisha Lakindu Peiris who was stabbed to death as he made his final pizza delivery

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Police are appealing for witnesses after a 25-year-old student was found stabbed to death in his car as he made his final pizza delivery.

Thavisha Lakindu Peiris, who was originally from Sri Lanka, was found slumped at the wheel of his car on Sunday evening in the Southey area of Sheffield as he was on his way to deliver a take-away.

Mr Peiris was making his last delivery for Domino’s Pizza before starting a career as an IT consultant.

Detectives say they cannot explain the “brutal and shocking death” of a “career-minded, hard-working, bright, articulate and friendly young man”.

According to South Yorkshire Police, Mr Peiris had been working at a Domino’s branch on Halifax Road in the city as he studied IT at Sheffield Hallam University.

Officers said he was delivering an order to an address in Southey Crescent which was due at around 10pm.

When he failed to deliver the order, his workmates set off to find him. He was found dead in the driver’s seat of his silver Toyota Yaris. A post-mortem examination showed that he died from stab wounds.

Mr Peiris was born in Sri Lanka and had just successfully applied for a job as an IT consultant in Sheffield.

A 50-strong police team is now working on the murder inquiry.

Detective Superintendant Lisa Ray, who is leading the investigation, said no motive had yet been established for the murder.

She said: “Thavisha Lakindu Peiris was a bright, hard-working, intelligent and caring man who had worked hard to develop his career in Sheffield.

“His murder is an absolute tragedy and has caused untold grief for his mother, father and brother in Sri Lanka and for his many friends in Sri Lanka and in Sheffield.

“Everything we have learned from his family, friends and workmates at Domino’s suggests he was a career-minded, hard-working, bright, articulate and friendly young man who was very much planning his future. To date, we have found no explanation for his brutal and shocking death.

“I need to hear from anyone who knows anything about his murder.”

Mr Peiris’s family are preparing to travel to South Yorkshire, police said.

A number of people have been arrested and questioned by detectives since the murder but have now been released without charge, a force spokesman said.